


a real first date

by Autumnalpalmetto



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Established Relationship, First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnalpalmetto/pseuds/Autumnalpalmetto
Summary: Prompt: awkward "how to impress him on the first dates without seeming too keen"
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 17
Kudos: 321
Collections: AFTG Exchange Valentine's Day 2020





	a real first date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [djhedy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/djhedy/gifts).



Neither of them were the dating type. They don’t call going out to dinner alone “date night” like everyone else did. They didn’t carve out every Saturday morning just for each other like Dan and Matt did. They didn’t go out to lunch off campus together twice a week like Aaron and Katelyn did. That wasn’t their style. 

Yet Andrew couldn’t help but feel like he was holding Neil back. Neil never asked for things Andrew couldn’t give, maybe he was holding back asking for this. They both ignored the questions about what they did for their first date or when their anniversary was. There was no single date they had decided to do this, it built up slowly over weeks and months. 

At this point, Andrew was willing to admit they were in fact dating, but that meant something very different to them than it did to everyone else. Living together, working out together, practicing together, eating breakfast and dinner together, was already too much at times. Andrew didn’t need to carve time out of that to spend even more time with Neil alone. The only time they were apart was when they were in class. If anything Andrew needed to carve out time to be alone. By himself. Without Neil. 

Healthy couples spent time apart. When they moved back into the dorms after the summer, he started encouraging Neil to spend more time with his friends, which gave him the chance to spend more time with Nicky and Aaron without Neil stealing all of his attention. That wasn’t something Neil did on purpose, it was just impossible to focus on Nicky’s latest drama or Aaron’s video game when Neil was around. Neil was a light, and Andrew was a moth flying straight for him. 

  
  


“What is the best date you’ve ever been on?” Nicky asked Neil one evening at a team dinner the week before classes were set to start. 

Neil blinked at him. “I’ve never been on a date.”

Nicky gasped and covered his hand with his mouth. “What? Why not?”

“Why would I?” Neil asked. 

“Buddy,” Matt said softly. “Generally when you’re dating someone you go on dates.”

“Aren’t dates to find out if you like someone?” Neil looked toward Andrew with a smile playing at his lips. “I already know I like Andrew.” 

Andrew stared back keeping his bored expression. Neil was too sappy at times. Logically he knew that was nothing compared to everyone around them, but they weren’t like everyone around them. 

“While that is disgustingly cute,” Allison said, stealing Neil’s attention, “you need to go on dates for a healthy relationship.”

Neil looked at her, tilting his head and Andrew knew an insult was coming. “Excuse me if I don’t take your advice on what a healthy relationship is. From what I’ve seen you’re incapable of having one.”

“Seriously Neil?” Matt asked.

Nicky kindly changed the topic to something else before more insults were thrown or an argument broke out. Yet, Andrew kept thinking about it. Maybe the thing he had been against for so long wouldn’t be so bad. Just dinner with Neil was something he did fairly often, why would add the word date have to make it any different?

Andrew brought it up that night as they sat on the roof smoking and breathing in secondhand smoke.

“Do you feel like you're missing out?” he asked Neil, looking as his hair shining in the last flicker of light as the sun went down. 

Neil rolled his eyes. “If I wanted the type of relationship everyone else had, I would tell you.”

Andrew nodded. It was nice to hear that Neil was on the same page he was. “Do you want to go to dinner?” 

“Like a date?”

“Just once to see what all the fuss is about.”

Neil laughed, the smile he saved just for Andrew taking over his face. “Sure.”

“Tomorrow?” Andrew wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. He needed to know what it was like, but he didn’t want to linger on it. 

“Oh.” Neil’s eyes widened. “Someone’s eager.”

“Fuck off.”

“Tomorrow works for me.”

Andrew spent the rest of the night and significantly too much of the next morning thinking of what to do. He’d asked Neil to let him plan it because he needed the control but he had no idea what he was doing. Flowers were too much, Neil wouldn’t be impressed by them anyway. A gift wasn’t right either, what was he supposed to get his partner of seven months for their first real date. Jewelry and chocolate were out immediately. 

They lived together for fuck’s sake, reaching a level of domesticity neither of them had ever thought they could. Once you’d peed and brushed your teeth while your partner was in the shower there was no going back to the beginning, and they’d long past that benchmark. Andrew settled with going to Neil’s favorite pizza restaurant, the only one in town that did calzones, and then taking him to the book store to browse. 

He skipped his tutor period, which he skipped often because he didn’t need it, and headed to the mall to pick up Neil a new outfit. Straight leg jeans that would hug Neil’s thighs but not make him complain like skinnies would, a fitted gray V neck, and leather slip boot. Nicer than Neil usually dressed but not out of his comfort zone. It took Andrew longer to decide on his own outfit, the summer heat complicated his completely black aesthetic. He settled for black boots, black skinny jeans, and a black short-sleeved Henley. His bands would cover his forearms and he knew how distracted Neil would get by his biceps in a fitted T-shirt. 

After practice, Andrew told everyone else to go inside while he smoked. Neil hung behind, so Andrew grabbed his watch and tapped it.

“Better hurry and get ready,” Andrew said, keeping his voice low and rough. “I heard you have a date tonight.”

Neil raised an eyebrow at him, walking backward a few steps before turning and going inside. Andrew could not watch Neil get ready, if he did he would either spend half an hour fixing his hair or they would never end up leaving the room. 

Andrew was toying with the idea of a third cigarette when Neil walked out. He looked better than Andrew had imagined. Neither of them were subtle as they looked each other up and down before getting in the car. 

“You look nice,” Neil said looking him over again. 

“I always look like this.” It was just a normal outfit for Andrew, one that he’d worn many times before and Neil had never complimented. 

Neil hummed. “I know, and you always look nice.”

After all the effort Andrew had put into planning the date, Neil was somehow smoother than he was. It was unfair. If Andrew tried to complement Neil, it would come out clunky and awkward. He tried anyway.

“You look nice too.”

Neil smiled his fake smile, which said he didn’t believe him. “Thanks. You just like dressing me up.”

“Maybe I do.” Andrew started the car and pulled out of the spot. “Maybe I don’t.”

“You do.” Neil laughed at the blank look Andrew sent him. 

The closer they to the restaurant, the more Neil lit up. They rarely went there because there were cheaper options with better food closer to campus. Neil was delighted when they pulled into the parking lot. 

“One plain cheese calzone with a side salad and a water cup,” Andrew said to the cashier when they went up to the counter. 

“And one daily special with a slice of cheese and a slice of pineapple, Cesar salad, and an orange Fanta in a glass bottle,” Neil said. Andrew looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “What you can order for me but I can’t order for you?” 

Andrew was shocked that Neil remembered his order. He wasn’t prepared for that and missed his chance to pay while he was staring at Neil. Neil handed the woman a twenty and smoothly told her to keep the change. 

They walked over the dark table in the corner and placed their number at the edge. Andrew was slightly dismayed at how well Neil was doing on their date, and how poorly he was doing himself. Neil chatted about the unique decor of pizza tiles made by local grade school children. 

“Look, it’s you,” Neil said as he pointed to a grumpy looking stick figure with blond hair. 

Andrew pointed to a creepy face with all the features in the wrong places. “That’s you.”

Neil looked and laughed. “No, that’s Aaron.”

When their food arrived Neil offered Andrew the first bite of his calzone, which was as gross as he remembered. In retaliation Andrew offered Neil a bite of his pineapple pizza, Neil grimaced but took the bite anyway. 

“It grows on you,” Neil said after barely managing to swallow. “Not as gross as last time.”

“Liar.” As Andrew took another bite Neil wrinkled his nose.

“I said not as gross, which is not a lie. It was worse last time.” Neil made a disgusted face. “If I had said it was good, that would have been a lie.”

As they ate Neil chatted about his day and his classes, asking Andrew questions occasionally, which he gave one or two-word answers to. Andrew listened to everything Neil said, he always did, yet he couldn’t help but wonder if Neil would be better off with someone more willing to engage in conversations. Perhaps someone who knows how to interact with him on a date instead of an awkward compliment and silence. 

After finishing their food they walked down the road to a locally owned a bookstore. Andrew walked down every aisle, taking in the titles and topics are Neil followed behind him. Neil didn’t look at all interested in the activity, he was more focused on Andrew than anything the store had to offer. With two books in hand, Andrew cut the trip short. He headed to the register after looking at only half the store. 

“Don’t you want to look at everything else?” Neil asked. 

Andrew raised the two books at him. “Got what I needed.”

On the drive back Neil played with the radio and turned up some boppy teen pop song. He looked like he was enjoying it though, so Andrew let it play. 

When they got to the dorms, the sun was just starting to set. They dropped the books off in their room and headed to the roof. They settled down a little way back from the ledge and looked over the campus washed in pale orange and dust rose. 

“I got you something,” Neil said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes. 

Andrew took it and lit one up for both of them. “How was your first date?”

“Amazing,” Neil said, a slight smile taking over his mouth. “Better than I expected. Could have done without the playing dress up though.”

Andrew eyed him for a moment, looking for any trace of a lie. “Amazing is a strong word.”

Neil turned to him, smile slipping away. “Did you not enjoy it?”

“I did.”

The smile returned, and Neil stole Andrew’s cigarette to put it out. “Good.”

“What was so amazing?” Andrew asked. 

“Well, I got to hang out with you alone, which is always good. And we went to my favorite restaurant.” Neil leaned closer to Andrew, tilting his head and stopping just shy of a kiss. “I got to stare at you without getting in trouble, that’s a bonus. And I like watching you shop for books, you look so focused and at ease for once.”

Andrew closed the gap between them, putting everything he didn’t have the words to say into the kiss. Neil didn’t need him to be like other people, to talk more or be more romantic. Neil just needed him to be himself. 


End file.
